


Tin Soldiers

by Kmomodf



Series: Tears of an Eternal Sunrise [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Graphic Description, I will add tags as I go, M/M, Not as slow a build as my other work, Prisoner of War, Redemption, Revenge, Side Project, Unfinished bussiness, World War I, i mean it's a war bro, semi-slow build, smut will happen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-03
Updated: 2017-01-07
Packaged: 2018-07-19 19:41:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7374847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kmomodf/pseuds/Kmomodf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It has been nearly two thousand years since the walls came down; since the Titans had been defeated. Two thousand years and an entire chapter of history has long since been erased. Erased, but not completely forgotten. There are still a few who remember, not much, but they'd been around the block long enough to know that their dreams were more than just that.  So when the world is plummeted into The Great War, these special few take it upon themselves to find more about the life that has been calling their attention. They want to know everything that happened in The Beginning. But some want to use that knowledge to finish what they had started all those years ago. To show humanity what a REAL World War looks like.<br/>---<br/>Or, a reincarnation AU set in the midst of WWI in which only the titan shifters have their memories...for now.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Dawning

**Author's Note:**

> Holy Hell! This has been on my mind for quite awhile. Whenever I've been stuck on my other writings this is what I end up turning to. So, I guess I'm posting this first chapter because I really just want to get it out there and share this crazy, stupid, borderline awful story with whoever will take the time to read it. 
> 
> Disclaimers: a) I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin nor any of the characters in it -and- b) This is a story set in the middle of a war, so there will be graphic descriptions of injures and violence

Calm down...

                   Close your eyes

Focus of your breath

                                    ...You made it safely

Though your heart pounds hastily

For now,

~~Forget the Deaths~~

****

In this world, the only unconditional, undeniable truth is this: from the tiniest organisms to the largest immovable formations, everything lives and everything dies. Heartbeats stop, leaves fall, rivers dry, and some day even the sun will fade into nothing; all things end.

Yet, when the end will come for Eren Jaeger, he did not know. He didn’t even know where he began. All he had were flashes of memories through senses that were not his own. At least not anymore. Each of these memories add to the depth of Eren's eyes, and, of course, the eyes are the window to the soul.

They are vastly different from the glimmering and shallow ponds he found in everyone else’s eyes. Those lucky bastards' were all shiny and new, and, as far as he’d been able to tell, only got one shot on this cold rock.

So, as Eren watched the light of this young innocent soul fade from the face of his comrade- his friend- he couldn’t help but think of the injustice of it all. This man, Franz, did not deserve this. _It should’ve be me, I’d come back eventually, but he...he’s just so young both spiritually and physically._ _They always are, and it’s not fair that his life be snuffed out before it had a chance to really begin._

But that has always been the way. Eren had never found a pair that reflected the abyss-like depth of their's, why would this life have been any different? Bertolt had once said that they must be ancient. And maybe they were, but as Reiner would say, “what’s the difference? We’re here now so we should _live_ in the now.”

Eren could feel the last breath leave Franz's lungs before being knocked back to his senses. Dirt and gunpowder hung in the air as the inconsistent gunshots rang around him. He needed to get out of there. Without thinking about it- about why he was doing it- Eren ripped the intricately woven insignia of their division from Franz’s uniform and slipped it into his jacket pocket. Then he heard it. A low whistle growing louder as it fell from the sky above him. In less than a heartbeat, he ran. His hands cut through the thick air ahead of him as Eren made his way through the ruins of this village. He dove behind a crumbled wall just as the bombshell met the earth, the impact shook him at his core.

“JAEGER!” Reiner's voice reached him over the ringing in his ears. Eren cautiously peaked his head over the broken wall of what may have been a shop. Through the rubble and dirt that hung in the air, he was able to make out Reiner's form nestled in the corner of a ruined stone cottage. He was desperately reloading his gun while bullets ricochet off the walls around him. There was a window to his right which would be a perfect vantage to use against the allies, but that would leave his back exposed to anyone able to make a shot. “GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE AND HELP ME!”

Without hesitation, Eren ducked his head and ran toward him. Reiner kept the barrel of his gun trained to cover Eren as he did. He hit the corner hard and heaving. He felt his heart in his brain, and as he positioned his rifle in the notch of the rubble, all he could think was _thank God nobody’s broken out the Mustard Gas._ Each blast from their guns was painful, just as each kick back bruised their shoulders through the thick wool of their jackets. They were used to it by then, though. They all were numb to the sensations of this war. Still, he was eternally grateful for Bert’s ingenious design of the earbuds so that they at least wouldn’t be deaf by the end of the day. _Though,_ Eren absently thought, _I’m pretty sure I was deaf once. And I definitely died of the plague another time. Didn’t I also get killed by a monk?_ With that string of thoughts, he felt like he would be okay no matter what happened, that he could survive it, but Eren screamed louder than the shots ringing around him as he was proved wrong. White hot searing pain erupted through his body as a bullet tore through his left shoulder. Eren could feel his collar crack on impact. And, maybe he was just too distracted by the pain, but he noted that he didn’t feel his shoulder blade do the same which meant the bullet was probably still inside him. He couldn’t help crumbling to the ground beneath the small mound of rubble, but this was no good. He could not afford to feel this pain, not while they were fighting. Not while his friend needed him. But before Eren could try prompting himself up, Reiner had turned around and settled his gun where Eren's had been moments before. He had to lean over his wounded comrade in such a way that Eren was literally trapped.

“Move and I’ll fucking kill you.” Reiner snapped at him when he tried again to sit up. For lack of feasible options, Eren fell back to the ground in defeat. He clutched at his shoulder with his other hand and tried desperately not to think about his fate. This wasn’t a clean shot, that much he could tell. Eren was pretty damn sure he had broken his collarbone in a couple spots, which meant that he would need good arm support for it to heal properly, not to mention the potential need for physical therapy. The way it went in could very well have torn through muscles and nerves, and in these conditions there wasn’t much of a way to tell what kind of damage that meant. It wasn’t like they really had the luxury of time or resources for a thorough exam and follow up. Hell, their medic had just lost two of his assistants! Most of all, though, Eren didn’t want to think about how there was a hole in his shoulder that exposed his blood flow to these wonderfully sanitary conditions. He had seen men die of staph infections from the smallest cut on their hand so he knew the dangers of an open wound. Not to mention a wound as deep and near to his heart as this was. An infection would take him out in less than 32 hours if he didn’t do something about it, and even if he did, it might still kill him within 48.

Sometimes Eren hated being a doctor’s son.

What felt like forever later, the allies’ retreat was sounded and he was able to sit himself up to lean on the small wall. The blood had coagulated, but still felt like it was on fire. It was all he could do to keep his tears welled back as he closed his eyes.

“Eren!” Bert began a few minutes later as he dropped to his knees beside him. His fingers going straight to unclasp Eren's helmet and slide it off his head, he eyed the wound. Bert didn’t speak, he didn’t have to. This was bad. All he did was exchange worried looks with Reiner.

_Fine, if somebody has to be the fucking adult._

“Reiner.” Eren winced as he tried leaning forward. “Wa-ter.” He nodded curtly and handed Eren his canteen. Fuck, the water felt like liquid gold, very well could have been with the way it brought back the feeling of life pulsing through Eren's body. He leaned his head back to pant until his throat stopped burning enough to address Bertolt. “Ymir?” He didn’t make eye contact with Eren, so he leaned forward. “Where is she?”

Bert bit down on his lip and looked off in the distance. “I don’t know.”

His response couldn’t have been more than a whisper, barely a breath in the pounding of boots and ringing of voices around them. Around them, yet nowhere near them. Eren felt as though they were on an island of their own, watching, waiting for him to die. Nobody seemed to notice, if they did, Eren doubted they would bring themselves to look at him. They’ve seen too much death. _We all have._ But the news of Ymir felt like a taut string in the back of Eren's mind that had just been snapped. He threw his head back, never mind the pain the movement shot through him. Eren closed his eyes and wanted nothing but to cry.  To get it all out because fuck this life! It didn’t have to be this hard! So why was it? Why had he been subjected to the horrors of this world, the evils, the tortures? To what end?

Penance, perhaps. Punishment for whatever wickedness they had committed in _The Beginning_ . That had always been Ymir’s theory. One she shared only with Eren because Reiner would get angry and Bert incredibly stiff when they would talk about their _situation_ . Together he and Ymir would brainstorm the reasons behind it, if there were any. He didn't know exactly how it was each time before. He remembered little more than flashes at a time, in no particular order, and all as if he was an outsider looking in. Eren didn’t know if they had always been close, but this time they were. She had been the closest thing he had to a best friend; and he’d like to think it was a mutual feeling. But now she was gone. Like Franz, like so many others...like his mother. Gone. At least, with Ymir he could hold out hope in actually seeing her again, but he knew it wouldn’t be the same. _Nothing ever is._ Not a single tear made it’s way past his eyelids. Mainly because he was just tired. Too fucking tired of everything. Of this world and his shitty existence in it.

“She never should have followed us.” Reiner said solemnly.

“There was no way anyone could have stopped her.” Eren replied with a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. He could clearly see her face behind his eyelids the last time Reiner said that to her. _No, we never had a chance of convincing her to stay and wait for our triumphant return_. Not even if any of them truly wanted her to. And that was the thing, deep down none of them did want her to stay. She was their comrade til the bitter end and they needed her much more than any of them would ever admit.

“You’re damned right you couldn’t have.” A raspy and slightly hostile voice snapped opened Eren's eyes to regard the scraped up soldier that towered over him. She wore the same ugly green coat they all did with the same hard helmet and the ridiculous spike on top. The unflattering uniform made it easy to hide her feminine form. She had also chopped off all of her beautiful brown hair to the military standard. Her more delicate facial features made her stand out among her peers, but her abrasive and hostile attitude made up for it tenfold. Truthfully, she was a hell of a lot more qualified than many of the other soldiers fight alongside her.

“You’re alive!?” Eren started forward, but slammed back against the stone in pain.

“Of course I’m alive, you idiot.” She replied as she bent to his side. “But it looks like you’re only just.”

“Ymir!” Bert snapped. “Don’t say things like that!”

“It’s not like he doesn’t know it.” She shrugged casually, but Eren could see the deep concern hidden in her eyes. Ymir leaned forward to gently prod at his wounds. He tried to work on his belt to shrug off his jacket, but, fuck it hurt. The only thing Eren was able to do was cry out and hang his head limply to the side. She got the idea, though, and gingerly began to help Eren out of his uniform to get a better look at my wounds. “Looks like you broke your collarbone, but that could heal easy enough.” Eren rolled his eyes. Healing a collarbone in these conditions would be anything but easy. Possible, but not easy. “And I’m sure some sort of bacteria has already settled in.”

A lot, if not most people would have been horrified by her diagnosis, but he couldn’t help but find it refreshing. She would never sugarcoat a damn thing, and Eren preferred it that way, which is why he needed her to help him. Hell, he wasn’t going quietly into the night without fighting tooth and nails first.

“Reiner!” She snapped. “I need you to find supplies!”

“What kind of supplies?”

“Fuck if I know!” She turned to Eren. “Any ideas, Med. Boy?”

It took a lot of effort and his voice sounded like gravel, but Eren managed to answer. “Alcohol, a sharp knife that is _not_ rusted, gloves if you can find them, oh, also gauze or fabric or cotton or...just something _clean_ ,” he winced. “And did I mention alcohol?”

“Where exactly am I supposed to find this stuff?” He asked completely dumbfounded.

Ymir rolled her eyes. “Gee, blockhead, maybe the medic tent, and if it’s the alcohol you’re having trouble finding, just go into Shadis’s room.”

He nodded and set off. Eren thought that shock must have set in because he no longer felt the intense burning and broken feeling in his shoulder. There was a dull sting and a sand like weight to that arm so he daren’t move it, but at least it felt...better. No matter how feeble this adrenaline morphine was, at least he could think a little more clearly now.

“Ymir,” Eren started weakly. “The bullet's still in there.”

Her eyes widened slightly, but her stone expression didn’t change. “Then we dig it out.”

Eren made the smallest of nods. He meant it when he said that she was the one he needed if he had any chance of survival.

Reiner returned almost a quarter of an hour later with all the supplies Eren had sent him for. The only thing he was missing was the sharp blade, but Ymir pulled a military grade Swiss army knife from her boot. _Because of course she’d have one in her boot_.

“That’ll work.” Eren regarded it, his expression lighting up as he realized:  _Tweezers_. “It has tweezers so use those instead.”

Reiner moved to grab it from her, but she pulled it closer.

“No offense, beefcake,” She started slowly. “But I’m pretty sure I’ve got the steadiest hands of us all.”

“Not true!” He retorted. “Bertolt has us both beat!”

“Maybe,” Bert began as his cheeks heated up and he ducked his head shyly. “But I’m too squeamish to be of much use.”

Ymir raised her hands to Reiner as if to say ‘told you, fuckboy’. He rolled his eyes. Eren groaned loudly.  

“Okay, Jaeger.” She leaned closer. “Tell me what to do.”

Eren pushed himself up as far as he could before nodding. “First, I need you to cut away the fabric around my would.” She did and stopped short of peeling away the scrap stuck to his coagulated blood. “Riener,” He grunted. “You’ll have to put my belt between my teeth, and when I nod, Ymir, pull off the rest of the fabric and pour the alcohol into my wound, understand?” They exchanged nervous glances, but nodded nonetheless. Eren tried not to think about how unsure they seemed. “Okay, it is incredibly important to do this quickly but also thoroughly. I’m probably going to lose consciousness so this next part is imperative.” He continued through his ragged breathing. _Stay awake, Jaeger. Stay awake long enough to finish telling them how to save you._ “You’ll need to dig the bullet out.” He looked at Ymir seriously, more seriously than he ever had in this life. “Be extremely careful not to sever more of my nerves. Feel for it with your finger before going in with the tweezers. Once you feel the bullet, go back in, clamp down, and pull it straight out.”

“Okay…” She started apprehensively. “But what if I can’t get to it?”

“Just follow the fucking hole until you _do_ , Ymir!” Eren snapped. Of course it was more complicated than that. It was a _hell_ of a lot more complicated than that, but they didn’t have the time to even try to go into all the variables. Had he given her more information, about the possible infection and the skin around it, or whether or not there were shards, he wasn’t certain Ymir would be able to focus all her attention on getting it done as quickly as possible. And he needed that most of all. She cocked her head, but didn’t comment. “Try moving the tweezers around as little as possible, and for fuck’s sake make sure they’re sanitized before you go anywhere near my skin! Then the moment, _the moment_ , she pulls it out, Riener,” He directed that same serious gaze to his blonde friend. “Flush it out with the alcohol and cover it the fuck up.” He nodded surely, fingers tightening around the bottle of 90 proof rum he found with Shadis’s things. Eren closed his eyes and took a deep breath. _God, if you’re out there. Please don’t let me die._  

Ymir took the alcohol from Reiner for this first part. “You ready, Jaeger Meister?”

He opened his tear filled eyes and choked back a sob. “Well, I guess it’s now or never.”

Eren opened his mouth as much as he could and Reiner fit his belt between his teeth. He clenched shut his eyes once more before giving one curt nod. Ymir brought a steady hand to the scrap of fabric over his wound, and ripped it away without hesitation. A stream of amber liquid filled the tiny hole which seemed to flush out the black looking blood. Eren let out a raw scream from the back of his throat and bit down on his belt so hard he’d be surprised if he had any teeth left after all this was done. Not that it would matter much if he didn’t even wake up. _You’re not going to die, Eren._ The voice erupted in his head without warning. It was undoubtedly his own, but was spoken in a language Eren had never heard, would never have recognized. Yet, it was as though he had known it all his existence.

Ymir pressed the gauze down to soak up as much blood as she could, but it just kept gushing out. “Bertolt!” She yelled. “If he stays propped up like this, he’ll only lose more blood!”

The tree of a man nodded and immediately fell to the ground at Eren’s side. He and Reiner ever so swiftly moved Eren so that he was lying with his head resting on Bert’s wool jacket. It wasn’t much, but Bert took pride in the fact that at least he was able to help at all. Eren screamed again, fighting fruitlessly against the dirty leather firmly held in his mouth.

“Reiner,” Ymir started again. “I need you to take over pressing this down. Not too hard, and when I say move, you move!” He nodded, relinquishing control of the belt to Bert so that Eren couldn’t just spit it out. Ymir continued with laser focus as she slipped on the one glove Reiner could nab and soaked the tweezers in the rum as the top of the Swiss army knife acted as a makeshift cork. That way she would be able to grab it in a heartbeat without having to take time re-sanitizing it. “Now!”

Reiner lifted the gauze and she didn’t hesitate sliding her forefinger into the hot oozing bullet hole. Thankfully, she had inherited her mother’s spindly fingers. Eren’s body jerked violently.

 _You can’t._ The voice lulled in his ears just above the rush of his own searing pain. _Not now._

Ymir prodded further, trying to move through the muscle contracted so tightly around her finger. Eren’s face was wet with blood sweat and tears as he screamed once more. His body jolting up as if to buck Ymir’s unwelcomed finger out of his shoulder.

“ _Fitt_ _a!_ ” Ymir swore under her breath. “Calm down, Eren.”

Black and white spots began rolling over him in waves, slowly dragging him into their warmth. _He’s waiting for you_.

The muscles that were cutting off her circulation loosened enough that she could move. Eren’s head had lolled to the side and his mouth was slack around the belt. His eyes were rolled in the back of his head. If it weren’t for the pulse drumming directly on her finger, she may have thought he was dead. _Well, he did say he was going to lose consciousness_ . Finally the tip of her finger met with something cool and hard. She smirked to herself as she quickly pulled out her finger and grabbed the tweezers.  Reiner pressed more gauze to the wound, but it did little before she knew she had to go back in. It was slightly more difficult to navigate through an object rather than her own appendage, especially as his blood seemed to ooze more freely. _“FITTA!_ ” The bullet slid out of the grasp of the tweezer, causing Ymir to have to carve more around it in order to get a better hold. She was beginning to shake now, muttering a string of curses as she slowly pulled it out. “ _Fan_ _, skit, skit, jäkla-”_

Keeping to his duty, Reiner began to flush out the empty hole as soon as the bullet was out of his skin. Eren’s blood thinned with the stream of the alcohol.

“ _J_ _ävla_   _K_ _uksugning Jävel_ .” Ymir grunted to herself as she began pressing the little gauze they had left to his shoulder. _He’s losing a lot of blood_. This wasn’t going to be enough. “Bert!” He snapped to attention. “I need you to use those ridiculously long legs to find  _mer av denna jävla skiten_ _! ”_

Did Bert speak Swedish? No, but he could tell what she meant by the urgency in her voice and the subtle shake at Eren’s shoulder. He needed to find bandages, and he needed to find them yesterday. He was gone in a moment and back by the time Eren’s blood had soaked through what little they had, covering Ymir's hands completely.  _So much...he looks like he's dying_.

“I couldn’t find bandages.” Bert defended his collection of newly sent socks. He had to cut into a supplies box for those. She didn’t respond, just ripped them from his hands and pressed them against his shoulder. The blood flow slowed, but Eren was already significantly paler. Reiner helped prop Eren up higher by adding his and Eren’s own jackets on top of Bertolt’s. Ymir cut away the rest of Eren’s shirt and Bert made it into a sling which held the makeshift bandages in place. They watched him. Ymir sat across from him with her knees to her chest as she studied the shallowness of his breath.

“He’s lost a lot of blood.” She said blankly.

“He’ll be alright.” Reiner replied solidly.

“His face is practically chalk.” She continued to drone with a hollow edge to her words.

“But his pulse has evened out.”

“That’s probably because it’s about to stop.”

“He’ll be alright.” He repeated sternly.

“I’m not saying I don’t want him to be.” She began, her voice taking on a more sorrowful tone. “But we need to be realistic about this.”

Reiner frowned at her. “I _am_ being realistic. If he is one of us, he will be.”

To that, Ymir started getting angry. “Hell, Reiner, we don’t even know if we’re ‘ _one of us_ ’! If that’s even a thing! If it even _means_ a fucking thing!”

“I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.” He replied dismissively. “But just in case, we can’t let anyone else know he’s been shot.”

“ _Are you fucking insane_!?” She yelled. “He needs antibiotics, morphine, he needs a fucking cot as soon as one opens up!”

“Ymir,” Bert chimed in. “I think Reiner’s right.” She looked at him venomously. “If he is what we think _we_ are, then we can’t let anyone see how quickly he’ll heal.”

“ _If_ he’ll heal.” She scoffed. Then she looked between the pair. _Ruthless. These two are ruthless, and no matter what I say or do, they’ll always get what they want. Always have, always will. The least I can do is stay here with Eren_ . “Okay, fine. We’ll do it your way. But what happens if he _is_ like you say and does?”

“Then we’ll tell him.” Reiner answered simply.

“Everything?”

“Yes.”

“Good.” She said shortly. “I don’t want to keep secrets from him.”

“You’ve done it before.”

“That was a differently life, Reiner.” She got to her feet and gave him a cold look. “I hope you’re not convincing yourself otherwise.” His lips thinned as she walked past him to Bert. “I’ll check in with Shadis. Bert, would you mind getting us some gear so we can camp here?”

He smiled skeptically. “Are you actually _asking_ me to do something?”

“Did you need me to reword it?”

“No, sir.” He replied seriously, but there was a glint of amusement in his eye. She marched away with Bert on her heels. Reiner knelt to Eren’s side, the faintest color began returning to his cheeks. Reiner felt his heart swell with anticipation. If Eren _did_ survive, it would mean that all he and Bertolt’s theories would be all the more probable. This could give them their lives back. Their purpose. And maybe, just maybe, they would be able to finish what they started nearly 2000 years ago.

The world had more than changed, but the flashes of memories from all those lives in which they watched those changes would make adaptation easy. They knew better that ever the weaknesses of humanity, and exactly how to exploit them.

 _This is it._ Reiner thought. _Our second coming._ He looked down at Eren and saw all their hopes and dreams pouring into reality as steadily as the life pouring back into his friend’s face. _The new dawn of Titans_.

 


	2. The Voyeurs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I took some creative liberties on the translation of Wings of Freedom in attempt to make it flow more like a lullaby type deal. Just go with it man, I tried. Also, the italics are tricky because I use them to convey multiple things such as: thoughts, emphasis, memories, and if it is underlined it is supposed to be being said in their ancient and dead language. Hopefully it's not confusing to follow, but please let me know if it is and I will try to adjust it. Also, french is a language I'm currently studying and am in no way completely fluent, so if my translations are awful, again please let me know so I can fix it! Thank you for your time!

Please look UP

                  ~~It could~~ be worse

                                                       ...You ~~could~~ ’ve been left behind

                                  By the edge of a knife

                       ~~You won your~~ ~~life...~~

                            But lost your peace of  mind  ~~mind~~ mind 

 

 

_The flash of green light was blinding- even from this distance, Levi could feel its heat._

_“ Damn brat.” He cursed to himself. “Can’t even follow a simple instruction!” _

_He urged his horse forward as the earth quaked beneath them. From the corner of his eye he watched many of the other’s fell back to wait until their own steads calmed down. She whinnied and Levi leaned forward to stroke at her neck. “S hh, not far now. Just get me to the buildings.” _

_As they reached the edge of the derelict city, the air echoed with a bellowing yell. Levi wasted no time hooking a wire from his 3DMG into the rafter of the first building in time to watch as the green eyed titan flew into the air and on his back- flattening several buildings in the process._

_Levi’s heart stopped and his eyes widened. “ Idiot!” He cursed as he flew through the streets. “I told him to wait for me!” The smell of blood and rot choked him the closer he got, and he dare not look down as the smaller monsters enjoyed their feast. There was nothing he could do for them now but honor their sacrifice by defeating their enemy. _

_“ Not much further.” He felt relief wash over him at the thought of being able to get to him. But while Levi was focusing on his destination, he didn’t see the abnormal titan sprinting at him from the side street until it was almost too late. He released his trigger at the last second and skidded ungracefully across the roof. His vision was cloudy as he struggled to his feet. He must have hit his head because it felt as though it was splitting in two, but he knew he had to move and move now before- _

_The roof collapsed beneath his feet causing him to crash to the ground under the rubble. Levi felt warm blood flow from his head down his face._

_“ No.” He breathed as the titan brushed away the wreckage around him. “No.” Its meaty fingers scooped his broken body from the ground. “I can’t leave him.” _

_The last thing Captain Levi Ackerman heard before his vision went black was a familiar voice calling out from a distance, “Levi!”_

“Eren.” The name escaped Levi’s lips as little more than a whisper as he was jolted into consciousness.

“Corporal?” Armin Arlert peaked his head in his superior's tent with the intention of relaying a message, but was stopped cold as he heard the name of a friend long gone. “Did you say, Eren?”

“Hm?” Levi rubbed his eyes as he was still trying to transition into reality.

“Eren, sir,” Armin regarded him intently. “I-I thought I heard…”

“If I did, I was still sleeping.”

“What were you dreaming about?” He pressed.

“Arlert,” Levi raised an eyebrow warningly. “Did you need something?”

Armin realized he had pried too much and was now completely derailed from his mission. “Yes, sir,” He sprung to attention. “The Commander wanted to speak with you when you have a moment, sir.”

 _What’s new? Hope he knows that moment won’t be until after breakfast._ When Levi turned his attention back to the kid, he cocked his head and eyed him curiously. “What are you doing?”

“What do you mean, sir?”

“With your arms, Arlet.”

Armin mentally slapped himself and adjusted his salute from a fist over his heart to a straight hand at his brow. “Sorry, sir.”

The corporal  shook his head and decided not to ask before stepping past him. “At ease, soldier.”

Levi walked briskly to the line for his morning ration. He was still trying to shake off the lingering feeling of awkwardness from that entire exchange. In all the time he’d spent with the kid, he was never asked anything not pertaining to their mission, nonetheless anything personal. So what was that about? Who the hell was this _‘Eren’_ and why was Armin so interesting in his dreams all of the sudden?

Truthfully, even if the corporal was willing to share the story spun by his subconscious mind, he was already having a hard time _remembering_ it. He never did which is why he was convinced that he was one of those abnormal people who simply didn’t dream; and he was okay with that. He had once heard that a person’s dreams were morphed manifestations of their daily lives which would mean, if Levi did dream, they would only ever be nightmares.

Today, though, was...strange. As sure as Levi was that he couldn’t dream, he had just woken in a cold sweat with some stranger’s name on his lips, echoing in his mind, scrawled in strange markings behind his eyelids. _Eren_ . Why was this person so significant? Why did they feel so _familiar_?

“It’s probably nothing.” Levi mumbled to himself as he walked to the small patch of dirt surrounded by his peers. By surrounded, he meant occupied by the same 4 men as always.

“Bonjour, mon ami!” Hanji was the first to loudly greet him wearing the same bright grin as always. “Como sava?”

“Like shit.” He grumbled.

Hanji laughed loudly. “Mais, c’est le plus long que je vous ai vu dormir!”

“Tais- toi, je me sens toujour comme une merde.”

“Oooo, oui, je comprend.” They started seriously. “Tu est un bébé.”

“Va te faire foutre, des lunettes de merde.”

Hanji threw their head back and laughed as Levi rolled his eyes. Moblit frowned. “You guys aren’t talking about me, right?”

“No, Hanji is just being their usual annoying self.”

“Levi’s grumpy because he woke up on the wrong side of the cot.” Hanji countered.

“I didn’t sleep on the cot.”

“There you go.” They shrugged as if their point was just proven.

“Well, none of us slept on a cot either.” Moblit replied gesturing to the other two men across from them. They made no comment and continued to eat.

“ _You_ have an open invitation.” Hanji started, pointing their dirty fork at the dirty blond. “It’s nobody’s fault but yours that you never take it.” Moblit’s ears turned scarlet and he quickly whipped his head around to make sure nobody else heard. Not that it mattered much if they did, they were all too afraid of Hanji to say anything.

“Levi,” A deep voice called the corporal’s attention to the blond american towering over him. “Didn’t you get my message.”

“I did.”

“And?”

“I haven’t yet had a moment, commander.”

“I see.” Erwin’s tone was dangerous. Levi was very lucky they had the relationship the did. “I’ve got good timing, then.”

Levi sighed and got to his feet. “Indeed you do, sir.” He silently followed his superior across the yard. There was no point, at the end of the day he would always lose. 

“We’re going to lose the front.” Erwin stated simply as soon as they get back to his tent.

“What makes you say that?”

He shrugged. “At the moment, we have virtually no supplies nor men to spare and even less time to get them there to make a difference. Mike and his men are exhausted and half- starved, and if they don’t retreat soon, they’ll be wiped out.”

“This is Mike we’re talking about, Eyebrows,” Levi started crossing his arms. “He’ll fight for that last piece of the front until he’s out of options. Have some faith.”

“It’s got nothing to do with faith, Levi, and it’s not Mike who’s making this decision.” Levi’s eyes widened at his commander. “I already sent the order. He’ll hold the trench for 2 more days, then they’ll retreat.”

“ _You’re_ giving the order to retreat?”

“Is that so surprising?”

“I just never thought I’d live to see the day you’d give anything up.”

“Ah,” Erwin smirked deviously. “That’s where your mistaken, Levi.” The corporal quirked his eyebrow. “I’m not giving _anything_ up, I’m merely switching tactics.”

“And that’s where I come in, right?”

“Precisely.”

~

As dusk settled on the horizon, Corporal Levi Ackerman and 5 of his best men set out on their mission. It was simple enough: scout the enemy, identify the officers, gather intel, and report back. The second part of this expedition- the main reason for it- was to be left up to Levi. He was to copy whatever scrap of information he could find from within the commander’s barracks. He knew that section of the front well, and the circumstances of his upbringing made him an exceptional thief, and that was why it had to be him.

Levi had briefed his men on what they needed to know and they’d spent the day making preparations. It would be a day and half on horseback without stopping. So, realistically they’d be getting there just as the retreat would be sounding. It was a short deadline, but he was confident they’d be able to make it.

They rode through the night, only taking breaks when they had to, and made camp under the cover of the woods midday. He let the horses and his men rest a few hours before trading shifts with Gunter to get in a couple himself; and they were off again at dusk. They repeated this process once more, and arrived to a small thicket of trees not a full 3 kilometers away from the trench. It was later than he was anticipating due to the detour south they had to take in order to avoid running into the retreating soldiers, and the sun was already painting the earth in radiant hues of orange and dark blue. His men were exhausted, but there would be no time to rest until dawn. Tonight they would be observing their enemy from a distance- taking notes on how the soldiers interacted with one another, and trying to weed out their officers. It was probably going to be the easiest night ahead of them; if there were anything remotely unsettling, however, it was the tiny campfire that sparked up shortly after sunset. It sat away from the troop among the ruined village. Whoever they were, they had to be with the enemy because, though they were close enough to be seen, they remained undisturbed; but if they were soldiers, why were they over there at all? Could they be hiding something?

The moon was high, but its bright glow had been muted by the heavy clouds looming over them. Jean and Connie were the first to watch the different outposts through binoculars while Erd and Gunter set up the tarps over each of the tents and Armin secured the horses.

“Arlert,” Levi called him to attention. “I want you with me to scout out that camp.”

“Yessir.”

Normally, the good Corporal would do this type of thing alone, but even he admitted that his german was rusty at best, and he would be completely useless if they were austro hungarian. So he brought Armin, who was an exceedingly talented linguist. It was easy to move under the cover of darkness, and even more so once they reached the fallen town with all the nooks and crannies a spy could ask for. Both men were light on their feet which allowed them to get within a handful of meters from the campsite. They hid in a building whose roof and one whole wall had been blown away. When Levi finally peaked over the edge of the window, he was surprised to see a young man laying on his back in the warm glow of the fire. Beside him sat a small gangly looking boy with a mess of auburn hair sharpening a small bloodied knife. The kid that was passed out had a large jacket thrown over him like a blanket, and on it above his troops insignia, Levi was surprised to discover a series of stripes meant to classify a Sergeant. _Looks like we found one officer_ . At least he felt safe to assume it belonged to the young man beneath it as the other boy was wearing one of his own. _He looks so young. Why would he be out here?_

His eyes scanned the ground and found a pile of what looked like bloody bandages, and when he examined the profile of the sleeping boy’s face again, he noted the paleness of his cheeks. _If he’s injured, why isn’t he in a med. Area?_

The boy’s head lulled to its side, exposing the whole of his face to where Levi hid in the shadows. And, for some reason, Levi lost his breath. It didn’t make any sense, but in that moment, he felt a rush of panic for the kid. He wanted to run to his side and make sure he was alright. Levi quickly shook off the feeling and turned back to lean against the wall. He noticed that the boy beside him was tense. His eyes were blown open and his entire being was rigid.

“Arlert,” The Corporal inquired quietly. “Everything alright?”

Armin stayed quiet for a moment trying to come up with how best to respond to that question. He was in shock; he had long since given up the possibility of ever seeing his best friend again. Yet, here he was not 3 meters from him, lying unconscious and badly wounded. He also took note of the blood soaked bandages as well as the near empty bottle of alcohol, but the look of concern on Ymir’s face was what confirmed his theory. Armin had recognized her instantly, even with the haircut and behind the boyish uniform, her sharp featured face covered with freckles was unmistakable. She was tense and spared every other glance to check if anything had changed. It, of course, hadn’t. Was Armin about to watch his best friend- the one he’s been searching for centuries to find- die all over again? So, no, ‘everything’ was _not_ alright. It was far from alright, but it wasn’t as though he could convey any of this turmoil to a man who didn’t even recognize the love of his last life.

“Yessir.” Armin replied blankly. “Everything is fine.”

Levi didn’t buy that answer for one moment, but he didn’t press the conversation. Instead he settled on the wall. Spying was a waiting game, and even though nothing was happening now didn’t mean nothing _would_ . They had to be this far out for a reason, and he was going to find out what it was. Armin was still watching them carefully, hoping for some sign- _any_ sign- that they had their memories. He knew it was a long shot, so far the only other person who had any sort of memories from their lives so long ago was Historia. Still, he couldn’t tear his eyes away. Eren was right there. Eren, _his Eren_ along with Ymir, and what if they _did_? Would he be able to spring from their hiding spot, endangering the lives of his team? How would they respond? How would the corporal respond?

Just then a serene voice broke through the air’s stillness.

 _“_ _I won't let anyone say ‘They died in vain’_ . _Not until I become the last lone arrow on the battlefield._ ” Armin was paralyzed in complete shock as the sign he’d been waiting for was being sung in front of him in a language long since dead and forgotten.

 _“ We hold determination tightly to our hearts,  _ _ we sever this ring of folly, and dance into the blue sky-” _

Levi peaked back through the window and looked curiously at the boy now cleaning his rifle. He had such a delicate voice for a man, and it flowed beautifully with the melody of the language he didn’t recognize. Though the words were foreign to him, Levi felt as though he had heard this song before- as though he understood its meaning and could clearly paint its story in his mind.

_“ With two steel blades of Gloria, sing the song of victory with the wings of freedom on our back.” _

This was the story of a soldier whose very soul burned with a desire to be free. His determination was infectious, and in his eyes reflected an untamable spirit.

_“ Didn't you break out of their walls to fly? Why else would you possess those wings?” _

He was strong and brave and outshined the sun.

_ “Isn't the sky in the birdcage a little too small?” _

In his mind’s eye the hero was flying between trees wielding two steel blades.

_“ Freedom and death.  _

_ The two of them are twins.” _

His green cloak waved in the wind, almost giving the illusion that the wings woven on the fabric were actually in motion.

_“ Freedom or death?  _

_ Only one of which we call friend.” _

Levi fell in on himself. With his back on the wall, he lost his focus on the ground in front of his feet. The story he was hearing and the one in his head started to split.

_“ I don’t know why we were born, but I believe there is a way we're supposed to live.” _

In his mind, the soldier had fallen, and Levi was cradling him in his arms. This song was leaving his lips in a broken melody as he tried to comfort the boy.

_“B ecause we are a part of this world _

_ We are alive to bask in the freedom of our existence.” _

They were waiting for an opportunity to get away, but the longer they waited, the worse the boy with his emerald eyes got.

_“ We grip the gear of our fighting spirit, sing the song of the light of hope, and have the horizon of freedom on our backs.” _

Levi felt his make believe world crumble as he felt the soldier’s death grip on his arm go slack.

_“ With the chains connecting this world in our chest, we play a song of what might lurk behind all possibilities.” _

His hero’s eyes fluttered open and the corner of his mouth twitched up as he whispered his name sweetly.

“ _ Dance into the blue sky-” _The honey- like voice cracked and the singer looked up to the starless sky before speaking the rest. “Flügel der Freiheit”

Those last words were in a language Levi _did_ understood: Wings of Freedom. It rang deep in his core, shaking loose feelings he never realized he had. Feelings of a world long forgotten, of a life filled with pain and sorrow but also an undeniable sense of belonging- to something, to some cause, to _someone_.

“Corporal?” Armin inquired quietly, his eyes brimmed with concern but also… hope? Did Ymir’s song spark some kind of memory? It was then that Levi felt the hot trail rolling down his cheek. He hastily turned his head to wipe away the tear and mentally shook himself. What was he getting so worked up about? It’s not like it actually _happened_. His imagination just got away from him while he listened to the strange song. It wasn’t a new phenomenon, Levi always had a wild imagination as a child, it just got stamped out of him as he grew.

Armin turned his attention back to his lost comrades with new excitement. His heart was pounding so quickly he felt as though he was about to burst at the seams. _She remembers! She remembers! Does that mean Eren-_

“Arlert,” Levi began in a hurried whisper. “I'm going back to the camp.” He hardly believed the words coming out of his mouth. The corporal never left a mission early, but he felt unusually nauseous, dizzy, and, quite honestly, freaked out. Besides there wasn’t much of a point in him being around if they kept speaking whatever that language was. “I'm trusting you to keep an eye on these guys and report back to me before dawn.”

“Yessir.”

With one last good look at the sleeping boy by the fire, Levi turned and disappeared into the night. Armin sighed in relief. It wasn't as though he disliked the corporal, but being around him at a time like this was becoming suffocating. He felt helpless to do anything because he had to remember that he had Levi by his side. And the corporal just as the captain from long before would not have reacted kindly to Armin giving them up on such a ridiculous notion.

“ _Captain_.” Eren groaned loudly, causing both Ymir and him to jolt. This was it, now or never. Armin stood ready to jump out, but as he saw two other men jog up, he dropped and pushed himself further in the shadows.

“Ymir!” Bertolt ran to their side. “Is he awake?”

“What did he say?” Reiner demanded.

“He said _‘Captain’_.” Ymir replied blankly. Her focus was on Eren as she bent over him.

“Of course he would.” Reiner rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, well they _were-_ ”

“I know, shut up I don't want to think about that tiny bastard.”

“Someone’s salty.”

“You’d be salty too if he-!”

“What, Reiner?” She glared at him, but her tone remained even. “What exactly did he do to you that was any worse than what happened to the rest of us? If you don’t remember, you put me on death row, bub. Hell, even Bert was _killed_ by present company-" _Oh,_  Armin thought, _she doesn't even know how right she is in saying that. "-A_ nd you don’t see either of us throwing a fit.”

“That’s different.”

“How? Because we’re cut from the same cloth?” Ymir scoffed. “Don’t kid yourself, we’re no different from them. We never really were.”

“I think,” Reiner started in a strained tone. “You may want to reexamine that statement.”

“Why?” She cocked her head condescendingly. “Does it conflict with your superiority complex?”

“Ahem,” Bert interjected loudly. “About Eren...” They both fell silent and decided to drop the topic. “Is he alright? How’s his shoulder?”

“I haven't checked yet.” She snapped as Eren groaned again. “Eren,” She started softly. “Eren, can you hear me?”

“It’d be hard not to.” He responded hoarsely. “You guys are loud as fuck.”

There was a collective sigh of relief from everyone including the voyeur. Eren coughed then yelped at the shooting pain in his shoulder. “Scheisse!”

Armin once again had to stop himself from moving, but, God did he hate seeing Eren in that much pain.

“Don’t move so quickly,” Ymir helped him lean back down. “You have a hole in your shoulder, you know.”

“ _Yeah_ ,” He groaned again. “  _Thanks for reminding me_ .” He winced. “ _ Jesus, you couldn’t manage to snag me any kind of painkiller? Some friend you are. _ ” Ymir froze wide eyed, and when Eren scanned the other two, they were staring at him with looks of shock. Armin, even, had to cover his mouth after making a rather loud gasp. “ _ What? _”

“ _ Eren, _ ” Ymir gaped. “ _ Can you understand me? _”

“ _ Yes… _ ” He replied with his brow deeply furrowed in confusion. “ _ Why wouldn’t I be able to\- _ ”  Eren’s eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his head. _What language is this!? How am I speaking something I don’t know?_ He was so distracted by his discovery that he forgot about his injury and tried pop up. Fire erupted in what felt like his entire left side; the pain was enough to make him sick to his stomach and left him falling back to the ground as his vision faded back into darkness. Again Armin found himself holding back the urge to expose himself, but with Bert and Reiner there it’d be way too risky.

“ _Eren!_ ” Ymir was lightly slapping his cheeks then she lifted each eyelid, neither with a response. His heart was hammering, but its beat was strong. “He’s fine,” She sighed. “Just passed out.”

“Ymir-” Reiner started excitedly.

“I know.” She snapped.

“Aren't you the least bit relieved?” His tone had become accusatory again. "You're the one who wanted to  _'tell him everything'_ , remember?"

She didn't answer him because, honestly, now that it could actually be happening, she didn't know how she felt about Eren remembering their first life together. Most of the time she didn’t even like thinking about it herself. It was a painful world- they had all been through and _done_ horrible things. Truthfully, she wished ignorance for them both. Ever since Ymir started remembering that life, she’d been hollowed by the pain of living without the one person she’d ever truly loved, and now she knew Eren would have to live with that same kind of torture. Not to mention the present company that even she didn’t fully trust and knew Eren would have absolutely no reason to based on his old memories. Still, she couldn’t deny the bond the four of them have formed in this lifetime. What she and Eren had going for them now was pretty great. Ymir had never really had a friend before; and, as far as friends went, having one who wasn’t afraid to kick a little ass and go a little crazy with you wasn’t so bad. They had become family to one another and she was afraid of what Eren would think of any of them once he woke up. But Ymir did know that whatever happened, there was no going back now.

**Author's Note:**

> BRAVO! You have made it to the end! I am so very happy that you have because it means that you took your time to read this all the way through. It truly means the world to me that you have, and I would value any input you may have :)


End file.
